


Day 220

by Josh_the_Bard



Series: A Year in Kirkwall [220]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:55:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25796251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Josh_the_Bard/pseuds/Josh_the_Bard
Series: A Year in Kirkwall [220]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1589257
Kudos: 1





	Day 220

Varric looked at the letter on his desk with a mixture of frustration and disgust. He would normally just toss letters like this in the nearest fireplace, but family was complicated. Thorold was his cousin, and a member of the Ambassadoria, a group that had powerful business connections in Tevinter, so Varric could not ignore anything from him without putting his own holdings at risk. Thorold was also Varric’s primary contact in Tevinter and could open a good many doors if Varric maintained a good relationship. He just wished the man didn’t act so much like a politician. 

He would never admit it, but since Bartrand’s betrayal and resulting death, Varric was starting to regret not maintaining a better relationship with the rest of his family.

Slowly, he opened the letter and read the contents.

‘Dearest cousin, 

I hope that this letter finds you well. The Imperium was all abuzz with the news of your Champion’s heroic battle against the Qunari. Half the stories coming out of Kirkwall can’t possibly be true (though I shan’t come to you for true stories.) My new wife and I have decided to come visit you for the festivities celebrating the momentous event she is quite enamored by your city.

We also have a business venture that could use your signature touch. I look forward to telling you all about it when we arrive. 

Your loving cousin,  
Thorold Tethras’

Varric read the letter again. Something was off. Varric was notorious in his family for being unscrupulous, underhanded and undwarflike. Thorold wouldn’t seek him out specifically unless he was involved in something shady and dangerous. Varric had heard about his cousin’s new bride, a young Magister from a relatively minor house. It sounded like a political alliance, House Tethras got a connection to a Tevinter house and House Tilani significantly increased their wealth. 

Varric took Bianca off the mantle and went over all her gears and springs to make sure she was ready for trouble. He watched his fingers work with a mix of emotions. He had spent a great part of his life working with his hands, he was quite proud of his skill. His hands were steady enough to unclip a tripwire without triggering it and light enough to pick even the most sensitive of locks. He had run maintenance on Bianca hundreds of times and it was unconscious at this point. His mind could let go and his nimble fingers would glide across the working, feeling anything that was out of place and adjusting it until everything was perfectly attunes.

His fingers were skilled but they were, they paled in comparison to Bianca’s, the real Bianca. The one who had taken Garav’s failure and turned it into something spectacular. Varric had known many highs and lows in his life, both true and actually true. But if he had one perfect memory, it was watching Bianca’s delicate, yet scarred, fingers working away to create her namesake.

“Hey there girl,” he whispered. “It looks like we’re going to a party soon. You’re looking your best, as usual, so I promise I’ll wear something nice so you won’t be embarrassed to be seen with me.”

Varric hoped that Thorold and Maevaris were happy together, even if they probably hadn't married for love.


End file.
